Recife climate
Recife (Pernambuco, Brazil) has a tropical savanna (dry summer) climate (Köppen As). The average temperature over the year is 26 °C80 °F, and about 1,416 mm56 in of precipitation falls in an average year.
Temperature by month
Precipitation by month
Recife climate table
| Month | High °C°F | Low °C°F | Mean °C°F | Precip. mmin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3187 | 2476 | 2882 | 853.3 |
| Feb | 3187 | 2576 | 2882 | 943.7 |
| Mar | 3187 | 2577 | 2882 | 1244.9 |
| Apr | 3086 | 2577 | 2781 | 1706.7 |
| May | 2984 | 2476 | 2780 | 2038.0 |
| Jun | 2882 | 2374 | 2578 | 26110 |
| Jul | 2780 | 2373 | 2576 | 2068.1 |
| Aug | 2780 | 2272 | 2476 | 1154.5 |
| Sep | 2882 | 2272 | 2577 | 582.3 |
| Oct | 2985 | 2374 | 2679 | 361.4 |
| Nov | 3087 | 2475 | 2781 | 240.9 |
| Dec | 3187 | 2476 | 2882 | 381.5 |
| Year | 3187 | 2272 | 2680 | 1,41656 |
“Year” row: highest monthly high, lowest monthly low, annual mean and annual total.
| Month | Humid. | Cloud | Solar | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 72% | 49% | 6.6 | 12:32 |
| Feb | 74% | 51% | 6.6 | 12:22 |
| Mar | 75% | 48% | 6.4 | 12:10 |
| Apr | 79% | 47% | 5.8 | 11:56 |
| May | 82% | 48% | 5.1 | 11:45 |
| Jun | 83% | 50% | 4.7 | 11:39 |
| Jul | 84% | 46% | 4.9 | 11:42 |
| Aug | 81% | 40% | 5.7 | 11:51 |
| Sep | 78% | 37% | 6.3 | 12:04 |
| Oct | 74% | 39% | 6.7 | 12:18 |
| Nov | 71% | 38% | 7.0 | 12:30 |
| Dec | 70% | 42% | 6.8 | 12:35 |
Humid. = average relative humidity at 2 m; cloud = average cloud amount; solar = average daily solar energy reaching the ground in kWh/m² (all-sky); daylight in hours:minutes, calculated for the 15th of each month.
What the climate of Recife is like
The warmest month is March, with an average high of 31 °C87 °F and a low of 25 °C77 °F. The coldest is August, when highs average 27 °C80 °F and lows 22 °C72 °F. Seasonal differences are small — just 3.3 °C5.9 °F between the warmest and the coolest month.
It is wet, with about 1,416 mm56 in of precipitation per year. The wettest three-month stretch is May–July, which brings 47% of the annual total. The wettest month is June (261 mm10 in), the driest is November (24 mm0.9 in).
Relative humidity ranges from 70% in December to 84% in July. The clearest skies (lowest average cloud amount, 37%) are typical of September. Average wind speed near the ground ranges from 12 km/h (7 mph) in April to 14 km/h (9 mph) in September.
Best time to visit Recife
Based on these averages, the most comfortable months for sightseeing and outdoor activities are September and October. Average highs then reach 28 °C82 °F to 29 °C85 °F. Precipitation is 36 mm1.4 in to 58 mm2.3 in per month.
The most challenging month is June, which is very wet (261 mm10 in) and humid (83% relative humidity).
Comfort score: months are ranked by how close they come to an ideal. That means an average high of 21–28 °C (70–82 °F), lows above 5 °C (41 °F), little precipitation and moderate humidity. The best-ranked months of each place are recommended, even where none meets all of these. These are general rules of thumb applied to long-term averages.
Recife weather by month
- January31 °C87 °F / 24 °C76 °F
- February31 °C87 °F / 25 °C76 °F
- March31 °C87 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- April30 °C86 °F / 25 °C77 °F
- May29 °C84 °F / 24 °C76 °F
- June28 °C82 °F / 23 °C74 °F
- July27 °C80 °F / 23 °C73 °F
- August27 °C80 °F / 22 °C72 °F
- September28 °C82 °F / 22 °C72 °F
- October29 °C85 °F / 23 °C74 °F
- November30 °C87 °F / 24 °C75 °F
- December31 °C87 °F / 24 °C76 °F
What to pack for Recife
- Wetter months (March–July) — highs 2780 to 31 °C87 °F, lows 2373 to 25 °C77 °F, about 193 mm7.6 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses and an umbrella or light rain jacket.
- Drier months (August–February) — highs 2780 to 31 °C87 °F, lows 2272 to 25 °C76 °F, about 64 mm2.5 in of precipitation a month. Pack light summer clothes such as T-shirts, shorts or light dresses.
How Recife compares
World Climates covers 223 places in Brazil. By annual mean temperature, Recife is the 51st warmest of them. By annual precipitation, it is the 71st wettest. See all of them on the Brazil climate page.
Some places in other countries have a very similar pattern of temperature and rainfall (with seasons shifted for the other hemisphere). The closest matches are Olanchito (Honduras, Am), Tocoa (Honduras, Am) and La Ceiba (Honduras, Am).
The same NASA POWER grid cell also contains Olinda (pop. 364,717) and Camaragibe (pop. 160,318). Their long-term averages in this dataset are essentially the same as for Recife, so they do not have separate pages.
Nearby places
- Climate in Paulista 13 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,416 mm56 in
- Climate in Jaboatão dos Guararapes 16 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,416 mm56 in
- Climate in Cabo de Santo Agostinho 31 km · 26 °C79 °F · 1,433 mm56 in
- Climate in João Pessoa 104 km · 27 °C80 °F · 1,268 mm50 in
- Climate in Caruaru 123 km · 23 °C74 °F · 913 mm36 in
- Climate in Campina Grande 143 km · 24 °C75 °F · 931 mm37 in
- Climate in Santa Cruz do Capibaribe 146 km · 25 °C76 °F · 772 mm30 in
- Climate in Garanhuns 201 km · 20 °C69 °F · 1,052 mm41 in
Frequently asked questions
What is the warmest month in Recife?
March is the warmest month in Recife. Its average high is 31 °C (87 °F) and its average low is 25 °C (77 °F).
What is the coldest month in Recife?
August is the coldest month. Its average high is 27 °C (80 °F) and its average low is 22 °C (72 °F).
When does it rain the most in Recife?
June is the wettest month with about 261 mm (10.3 in) of precipitation. November is the driest with about 24 mm (0.9 in).
What is the best time to visit Recife?
Judging by long-term averages, the most comfortable months are September and October.
About this data
All figures are 25-year averages (January 2001 – December 2025) from the NASA POWER project. Temperature, humidity, wind and precipitation come from the MERRA-2 reanalysis (precipitation is the bias-corrected MERRA-2 product), cloud and solar values from CERES satellite data. They describe a grid cell of roughly 50–70 km, not a single weather station. So they can differ from airport records. The gaps are largest on coasts, in mountains and for rainfall. Average highs and lows are the monthly mean temperature plus/minus half of the average daily temperature range. Counts of rainy days are not part of this dataset.
The grid cell’s average elevation is 67 m, while Recife lies at about 8 m. Temperatures on this page were therefore adjusted by +0.4 °C0.7 °F using the standard lapse rate of 6.5 °C per 1,000 m.